CONSIDER AN INDEPENDENT FUNERAL DIRECTOR

There are more than 3,700 funeral directors in Britain. Of these, about 1,000 are independent.

Independently run businesses have often been in the same family for generations and will be focused on offering a personalised funeral – rather than a standard tick-box service.

The cost of a traditional funeral is about £3,600. This includes £700 for council cremation charges – the option taken by more than three quarters of us. A burial plot can cost £1,750 or more and there are gravedigger charges of up to £500.

In London you may only be offered a plot for a limited period of time. Other fees include those for body handling, a coffin, a funeral director and a service.

Share this article

The National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors lists details of local providers. A funeral director should be able to organise a personalised send-off – while also saving you money.

Of the funeral chains the largest is Dignity, while Co-operative Funeralcare has about 800 outlets.

OPT FOR A GREEN FUNERAL

Rosie Inman-Cook, manager of the Natural Death Centre in Twyford, Hampshire, says: ‘The vast majority of funerals end up as part of a conveyor belt process at the local crematorium – with grieving friends and family having to make way for the next funeral just behind. But if you opt for a green burial your family can spend all day at the graveside and reflect on their loss in unspoilt countryside.’

Natural burial sites are aimed at those who prefer a simple funeral in woodland. They cut out much of the ceremony and the burial plot can cost as little as £500.

The Natural Death Centre provides details of more than 270 green burial sites countrywide.

Funeral directors: There are more than 3,700 funeral directors in Britain. Of these, about 1,000 are independent

SELECT A CASKET

A green send-off is not the only colour you can add to a funeral – an alternative celebration of your life can also include an unusual coffin.

Nottingham-based Vic Fearn & Company offers a bespoke service called Crazy Coffins, with shapes and designs from electric guitars to refuse skips.

Ursula Williams, who works at the undertaker, says: ‘We offer coffins made from solid wood for under £500 but you can pay as much as £5,000 for something special – such as a luxury 1917 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost casket.

‘Whatever the budget, a tailor-made coffin can add a personalised element to a funeral, turning an often sombre affair into a celebration of a life.’

You might also opt for an eco-friendly wicker coffin or flat-pack cardboard design costing from £100 to £600.

Details of reputable dealers can be found at The Natural Death Centre.

CHOOSE ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORT

Reverend Paul Sinclair, from Measham in Leicestershire, offers a motorbike sidecar-hearse service through his firm Motorcycle Funerals.

He charges £750 to £1,000 for the UK-wide service, boasting that one of the five bikes, a Suzuki Hayabusa, was recorded as the world’s fastest motorcycle hearse by Guinness World Records.

Go out in style: A Victorian-style hearse drawn by a couple of horses might cost £1,000

A traditional hearse can cost £200 to hire but there is no reason you cannot organise transport yourself – anything from a tractor, lorry or an estate car.

‘Funeral budgeting is important, but cheapest is not always best,’ Sinclair warns. ‘I have seen motorbikes towing coffins in a trailer that looked like they were going to a skip rather than a funeral. I have also seen bodies fall through the bottom of wicker caskets bought over the internet.’

A Victorian-style hearse drawn by a couple of horses might cost £1,000.

HIT THE RIGHT NOTE

Even if you opt for a traditional funeral service you can personalise it with music. Among the most popular songs are Monty Python’s Always Look On The Bright Side of Life and Robbie Williams’ Angels.

Popular hymns include The Lord’s My Shepherd and Abide With Me. The most requested classical music piece is Nimrod from Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations.You may have a family member who can play an instrument or sing.

Transport: Reverend Paul Sinclair charges £750 to £1,000 for his UK-wide service, boasting that one of the five bikes, a Suzuki Hayabusa, was recorded as the world’s fastest motorcycle hearse by Guinness World Records

The eulogy is a key part of the ceremony. Although a minister may say a few words, it is often more poignant if a family member or a friend provides the eulogy or reads a favourite poem.

AVOID PAYING UNNECESSARY CHARGES

You can cut funeral costs with a basic service, where your ashes are handed over at a price of about £1,000. A wake can then be held with family and friends.

Most funeral directors will not advertise this so you have to ask for it.

Do not be put off by the disparaging terms used by undertakers to describe this option, such as ‘disposal-only’ or ‘express’.

Inman-Cook says: ‘The industry makes people feel guilty by suggesting they are skimping – yet provides a production line funeral service with lots of unnecessary costs you do not need.’

For those looking to cut costs further – as well as making a difference after they are gone – donating your body to science helps researchers and young doctors.

To do this complete a consent form from your local medical school.

IT'S QUITE AN UNDERTAKING...YOUR SIX-POINT CHECKLIST FOR ORGANISING A FUNERAL

Preparations: You will usually need to budget at least £3,600 for a funeral

DEATH: Call a doctor. They must issue a certificate stating the cause of death. A funeral date cannot be set until the death is officially registered – which should be done within five days at the local register office.

The address of these offices can be obtained from the council or using the website gov.uk. A death certificate is also required by banks and other companies where the deceased had an account. It costs £9.25.

PRE-PAID FUNERAL: If there is a plan in place, funeral arrangements should be straightforward. Details are usually kept with either the solicitor who is holding a copy of the will or a local funeral director. If not the family organises the funeral.

ORGANISING: You will usually need to budget at least £3,600. Costs will be met out of the estate of the deceased, but family often have to foot the bill initially.

Where a surviving partner is below state pension age the Government may make a £2,000 Bereavement Payment.

BURIAL OR CREMATION: A cremation costs about £700 while a burial plot can be bought for £1,750 – or up to £8,000 for a prime London spot.

FUNERAL DIRECTOR: By using an independent funeral director you can cut costs – and tailor requirements rather than buying a packaged deal. Details of local firms are available at saif.org.uk.

COSTS: Body collection and preparation by a funeral director may cost £500. Hearse hire can range from £200 to £1,000 for a horse drawn carriage.

Coffins can cost anything from £100 for a cardboard flat pack up to £20,000 for a gold-plated casket.

A church service might cost £200 for use of the building plus £100 in clergy fees. Headstones can cost £800 upwards, but you could instead plant a tree sapling as part of a green funeral.